19-Year-Old Uses ChatGPT to Build Dharavi’s Future

A 19-year-old from Mumbai is using ChatGPT, an AI language model, to support education and community projects in Dharavi. The young innovator has applied the tool for college work and to tackle complex interpersonal challenges, aiming to empower independent thinking and change lives through education.

The student first used ChatGPT for college presentations, assignments, and questions that traditional search engines could not answer well. "I will say one thing: it was not a single specific moment, but rather an ongoing process throughout the journey of Dharavi Rising," the young user said.

ChatGPT has provided a vast resource of knowledge, offering an objective perspective that helped in managing interpersonal situations more effectively. "I work with people all the time, and interpersonal situations can get complex," the user explained. "Having a resource with vast knowledge to get an objective perspective on a situation helped me tackle interpersonal challenges much better."

Education is seen as the foundational pillar for change. "That begins with education; it’s the foundational pillar," the student said. "Education changes lives because it empowers independent thinking."

The initiative also uncovered that a local school in Dharavi has never owned land in its 40-year history. "After that campaign, we realised the school has never owned land in its 40-year history," the user revealed. "This school has operated under the radar for decades; people are often shocked to learn how long it has existed without wider recognition."

As young Mumbaikars, they want to change that. "As young Mumbaikars, we want to change that," the student said. The idea for the project was partly inspired by ChatGPT, which was used even for name suggestions. "When we conceived the idea, I turned to ChatGPT for name suggestions," the user added.

While the student has some informal design background, ChatGPT helped reduce design costs. "I wouldn’t say it outright saved design costs, as I have a bit of informal design background," they said.

The project reflects a growing trend of young people using AI tools to support education and community development in Mumbai’s informal settlements.